Diocese of Saluzzo

(SALUCLIAE, SALUTIENSIS)

Diocese in the Province of Cuneo,
Piedmont, Upper Italy. The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill
overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver,
marble, slate, etc. are found in the surrounding mountains. The
cathedral (1480- 1511), half-Gothic, contains a magnificent high
altar, and is rich in sculptures. The church of St. Bernard,
formerly belonging to the Conventuals, has interesting tombs of
the counts della Torre; the church of St. Dominic contains several
artistic tombs, especially that of the Marquess Lodovico II and
his spouse (1504), and the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. St.
Augustine's and St. Bernardino's are also worthy of note. The
present town hall is the former Jesuit College, while the older
one (1462), with a bold tower, is utilized by the Court of
Assizes. It was the birthplace of Silvio Pellico, typographer
Bodoni, Abate Denina, and Malcarne the anatomist. Saluzzo was a
town of the Vagienni, or mountain Liguri, and later of the
Salluvii. This district was brought under Roman control by the
Consul M. Fulvius. In the Carlovingian era it became the residence
of a count; later, having passed to the marquesses of Susa,
Manfredo, son of Marquess Bonifacio del Vasto, on the division of
that principality became Marquess of Saluzzo; this family held the
marquisate from 1142 till 1548. The marquisate embraced the
territory lying between the Alps, the Po, and the Stura, and was
extended on several occasions. In the Middle Ages it had a
chequered existence, often being in conflict with powerful
neighbours, chiefly the Counts of Savoy.

Tommaso III, a vassal of France,
wrote the romance "Le chevalier errant". Ludovico
(1416-75) was a wise and virtuous prince. Ludovico II constructed
a tunnel, no longer in use, through the Monviso, a remarkable work
for the time. With the help of the French he resisted a vigorous
siege by the Duke of Savoy in 1486, but in 1487 yielded and
retired to France where he wrote "L'art de la chevalerie sous
Vegèce" (1488), a treatise on good government, and
other works on military affairs. He was a patron of clerics and
authors. In 1490 he regained power. After long struggles for
independence, this small state was occupied (1548) by the French,
as a fief of the Crown. In 1588 Carlo Emmanuele I of Savoy took
possession of it. Thenceforward the city shared the destinies of
Piedmont with which it formed "one of the keys of the house"
of Italy. Saluzzo was formerly part of the Diocese of Turin.
Julius II in 1511 made it a diocese immediately dependent on the
Holy See. The first bishop was Gianantonio della Rovere, who after
eight months resigned in favour of his brother Sisto, later a
cardinal. Other bishops were: Filippo Archinti (1546), a
celebrated jurisconsult; the Benedictine Antonio Picoth (1583) a
learned and pious man, founder of the seminary; he was succeeded
by St. Giovenale Ancina (1597-1604) of the Oratory of St. Philip,
the apostle of Corsica; Francesceo Agostino della Chiesa (1642);
Carlo Gius. Morozzo (1698), who had built the high altar of the
cathedral. The diocese, since 1805, has been suffragan of Turin;
it contains 91 parishes with 170,000 inhabitants; 300 secular and
30 regular priests; 31 religious houses; 4 institutes for boys and
3 for girls; and has a Catholic newspaper.